The heads of the Bundeswehr and the Ministry of Defense are in crisis mode. Ultimately, Germany’s credibility in NATO depends on the Puma’s readiness for action.
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht in front of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle during a visit to troops in Lithuania.
The chain of bad news for German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht continues. At the weekend, the “Spiegel” published an emergency call from the commander of the 10th Panzer Division to the head of the army. It is said that none of the 18 Puma infantry fighting vehicles used survived an exercise unscathed. Among other things, there is talk of cable fires. The total failure does not affect the device that is getting on in years.
Rather, it is about what the Bundeswehr sees as the most modern – and most expensive – infantry fighting vehicle in the world. The new main weapon system of the German armed forces is intended to replace the fifty-year-old Marder. Now, military equipment is known to be vulnerable in the so-called introductory phase. On the other hand, the chronically ill problem child of the Bundeswehr was only certified as “tactical combat capability”, i.e. readiness for deployment, last year.
The top soldier in the Bundeswehr appeased
The process is particularly explosive because the devices were intended for NATO’s rapid reaction force. As of January 1, 2023, parts of the Bundeswehr should therefore be ready for action. Inspector General Eberhard Zorn tried to calm down on Sunday.
Everything is being done to quickly restore the Puma’s operational readiness, explained the top soldier in the Bundeswehr. The commitments to NATO would be fulfilled as agreed. Even if he were right, the recent turbulence is unlikely to do any good to confidence in Germany’s military capabilities.
We are doing everything we can to quickly restore the Puma’s operational readiness. Together with specialists from the armaments industry, we will immediately start assessing the damage. We will do everything we can to restore the clear state of the Puma.
— General Eberhard Zorn (@BundeswehrGI) December 18, 2022
The Bundeswehr cannot simply replace the devices. Only a small part of the 350 Pumas purchased has so far been brought up to the level required for the NATO mission. Most of the rest should follow. But that will take years. The target is 2029. The first target is 2027, when Germany wants to be able to provide NATO with an entire army division with five armored infantry battalions.
In the short term, the ministry wants to replace the cougars with martens. According to the German defense expert Thomas Wiegold, it is unclear what caused the total failure. He therefore warns against quick assignments of blame. In principle, errors by the manufacturer are conceivable, but also maintenance errors by the Bundeswehr.
This Monday, the heads of the army and ministry will meet for a crisis meeting. The round sits an impatient Parliament in the neck. «The Puma is supposed to be a main weapon system of the German army. And if the Puma is not ready for action, then the army is not ready for action,” explained the CDU defense expert Johann Wadephul powerfully.
Indiscretions about Lambrecht’s damage do not stop
But there is also criticism from the government factions. The chairwoman of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, was annoyed that she only found out about the incident from the press. This is of course understandable from Parliament’s point of view. On the other hand, it also sheds light on the indiscretions from the German Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence, which, to the detriment of his boss, do not want to stop.
Meanwhile, Strack-Zimmermann was not surprised by the shortcomings. In fact, the Puma has made a name for itself as a breakdown armor. From the point of view of the liberal MPs, questions still arise. “What did the Inspector General know, what did the Army Inspector know? And of course I expect that we as a committee will receive an explanation immediately.”
As late as 2020, the joint venture between the German armaments manufacturers Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann could not be certified as ready for use. Critics see the numerous special requests from the Bundeswehr as the reason for the high costs, which are not offset by any reliable results. The former SPD defense expert Fritz Felgentreu remarked smugly after the recent failure: “Armored infantry fighting vehicles have to be workhorses, not Arabian stallions.”
Greens question Puma’s future
The first voices are already questioning the future of the system. “We will ask whether it still makes sense to procure additional Pumas,” said the green defense politician Niklas Wagener of the “world”. Only last week, the budget committee of the Bundestag approved one billion euros for retrofitting the Puma to the NATO standard.
However, the parliamentarians had already tied the procurement of a second batch of Pumas to the condition that it had to be clear how operational readiness could be achieved. Behind it, Minister Lambrecht put a big exclamation mark on Monday. The criticism from the parliament is completely justified, it said in a statement from the ministry. The Puma project is at a crucial milestone. “Until the vehicle proves to be stable, there will be no second lot.”